Myth-placed Affections
by magz
Summary: Aahz, Skeeve and the rest of M.Y.T.H. Inc. meet a new and suprising character, and as chances have it, are thrown into a do or die situation. Events happen after Little Myth Marker. Unfinished as of 01.10.02
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:  
  
Everything M.Y.T.H. is copyright Robert Asprin and his publishers. My own characters are copyright me.  
  
Feel free to email me with comments: magz@charter.net  
  
-Magz  
  
http://webpages.charter.net/noise/  
  
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Chapter 1 – Skeeve's point of view.  
  
I'm not quite sure where to begin. Aahz always says the beginning is a good start…but I get the distinct feeling I'm being insulted at such times. At the start, there were only three of us. Aahz, Guido, and myself. I'm Skeeve, or as some may know me, the Great Skeeve. I'm quickly trying to discourage the use of that title though, seeing as I don't feel all too great most of the time.  
  
Even though I'm the president of M.Y.T.H. Inc., I can't really consider myself the boss. All decisions are made by a vote, or diplomatically. I think that means fair. See, I come from a pretty backwards dimension known as Klah. At least, the others say it's backwards. Having grown up there, I still see it as home and for such a long time, it was all I knew. But, after years of living abroad, very abroad, I've come to see it as pretty backwards as well. They just aren't up to the standards I've become used to. So saying, I don't spend much of my time there, and have made the Bazaar of Deva my home.  
  
The Bazaar of Deva is the center point of all the dimensions…or at least seems like it. Every hour of every day, every square inch of that dimension seems to be occupied by somebody. And somebody can be anybody. See, the Bazaar of Deva is just that, a bizarre bazaar. Beings from all walks of life and almost every dimension visit this area to trade and barter with each other and the local inhabitants, Deveels.  
  
Ah, but I'm running off at the mouth. That's not the point for this.  
  
The point I'm here is to relate a very curious tale to you. By now, you should be used to the kind of 'curious' tales I encounter. Most of the time it's a surprise to walk away alive.  
  
Anyway!  
  
As I was saying. Aahz, Guido, and myself. We were making our way down a particularly busy street of the bazaar. The small red Deveels popped out from the woodwork (another saying of Aahz's) to quote prices on their goods. The prices were sky high, even to a still-in-training eye as myself, and can be contributed to my status among the dimensions. It seems most have heard of the Great Skeeve, and all wish… I'm doing it again! Back to the present!  
  
The three of us had been sent on this current errand to find a jungo fruit. Tananda, the green haired Trollop who requested the fruit, has told me that a jungo fruit is similar to a dragon fruit. Chumley, Tananda's hairy moon-eyed Troll brother, has also told me that a dragon fruit is somewhat similar to muklok. And Aahz has told me that a muklok is similar to the shape of my head if I don't stop asking questions.  
  
So I'm content to walk behind the hulking forms of Aahz and Guido down the street while we hunt for this fruit. Now, Aahz is a sight all on his own. But when a bulky, scaled Pervect is placed next to the even bulkier form of a mobster bodyguard, no one stands in their way. The going was easy, and we covered much more distance in less time than if I'd been out on my own.  
  
Which, by the way, I'm not allowed doing anymore. The whole reputation thing has a few bad points as well. Like the fact that some people want me dead. Thus, any solo excursions are out of the question.  
  
Now, at this point, I'm content to let Aahz and Guido do the looking. Seems Guido has seen a jungo fruit before, as well as Aahz. I'm left to my own thoughts while the two go from one fruit stand to another.  
  
Unfortunately, there is some system to the bazaar. It seems that all the fruit vendors group together, hence creating competition, lower prices, and something Aahz calls 'capitalism'. But as you can infer from this, if we don't find the fruit at one vendor, we won't find it at any surrounding vendors in the area.  
  
Thus, it stands to reason that we have to cover a very large area to find the right tent that sells jungo fruit. I've lost my bearings by this point, and am relying on my partner and bodyguard to get me home safely. At last, after what seems like twenty different streets and vendors, we hit jackpot.  
  
Guido holds up a spiked orange and purple fruit. "Hey, Aahz. Is this one?"  
  
Aahz takes it from Guido's hand, thinking for a second as he runs it through his memory. "No, that's a jingo fruit. He should have a jungo though. Hey! Over here!"  
  
That last bit is directed at the fat Deveel making his way over to us. I can see him running us over with his beady eyes as he stops in front of us. He wiped his hands on apron, smudging dirt on or off his hands I can't tell.  
  
"Yeah, what is it?"  
  
Now, this in itself is strange. Most Deveel's are as polite as need be when they first deal with you. Only when the conversation turns to money and haggling over prices do they tend to show their darker side. By the way the Deveel is glaring at Guido though, I have a feeling there is a reason for the rudeness.  
  
"This is a jingo fruit, right? We're looking for a jungo fruit. Do you have one?" Aahz asks, rather politely I think.  
  
The Deveel shrugs, grunting. "Yeah." He leans down, pulling out a box from beneath the table, and sits it down in front of us. "How many do you want?"  
  
"How much are they?" Of course, we have more than enough money on us. If we wanted, I was sure we could buy the Deveels entire stock for a good price. Such is the magik business! Still, Aahz isn't one for needless penny wasting. He picked up two of the jungo fruit as he looked up at the Deveel.  
  
The Deveel shrugs again. "For a mobster? Thirty a piece." He stares pointedly at Guido.  
  
Guido seems genuinely surprised at being recognized as a mobster. Though he still has the ties and reports once a month to Don Bruce, he hasn't been directly involved with the mob for quite a while.  
  
"What?" he and Aahz both question at the same time. "How do you know I'm from the mob?"  
  
"You nearly broke my arm making me pay you for 'insurance'!" snaps the Deveel, leaning over his display to get nose to nose with my bodyguard. "And only two days later, some fat purple thing knocks over my whole tent! I was almost ruined! It took me over a year to get the profits coming in again! And all that insurance you promised never even showed up!" He accented the last with a finger jab at Guido's nose.  
  
Guido smacked his hand away; I was pleasantly surprised he didn't break the Deveels arm for that.  
  
Aahz interrupted the angry retort I could see forming on Guido's lips. "That wasn't his fault, and he's not part of the mob anymore, buddy." He flashed the Deveel a smile, leaning forward over the display as well. I saw the Deveel blanche a bit, turning a little pinkish as Aahz leant in, teeth displayed in what was not a friendly smile. "Now drop the price, buddy, or you're going to have to work for another year to get profits again."  
  
Jumping on his cue, Guido shoved the display just the tiniest bit with his leg. Then again, a tiny shove from Guido is like the strongest push I can muster. The display tilted dangerously before righting itself, losing only a few fruits in the process. Still, it was enough for the Deveel.  
  
"Fifteen."  
  
"Ten," came the unison reply.  
  
"Thirteen," he snapped.  
  
"Eleven."  
  
"Twelve, and that's it!"  
  
"Fine!" Aahz dug in his pocket and pulled out enough gold pieces for two, and held them out for the Deveel. As he reached to take them though, Aahz casually let them slip from his grip to the ground.  
  
The Deveel glared at us all but knelt down without a word and began picking them up. Guido took the chance to pocket two more jungo fruit. They turned their back to the tent, and I stepped out with them into the main stream. They stopped when in the middle of the road, grinning to each other over their success. As we'd grown accustomed to, the hordes of people around us stayed away and we remained unjostled even though we stood in the middle of traffic. Travel in style, I always say!  
  
"We certainly did okay there!" grinned Aahz, slapping a hand on Guido's back. The force with which he hit Guido would have sent me sprawling to the pavement, but Guido barely acknowledged it.  
  
"You bet!" he answered Aahz with a grin. "Still possible to put one over 'em, no matter how intelligent the proprietor thinks he is!"  
  
I considered for a second mentioning the old rule of dealing with a Deveel. If you think you've made a good deal, first count your money. Then your fingers, then your limbs…but I figured now wasn't a good time. Let them gloat for a while.  
  
Aahz said something I missed and they broke into a fresh gale of laughter. I smiled, faking understanding as I joined in.  
  
I was suddenly bumped aside by a woman walking past us. As I reeled to the left, I glimpsed her nose buried in a map of sorts. She proceeded past me, shouldered past Guido and then Aahz. She surprised Guido as well, and he stumbled backwards from the force of her shouldering. Aahz though has enough time to not be caught off guard and their left shoulders smacked into each other causing them both to rebound a few steps from the collision.  
  
Dropping the map, the woman was startled back into the present, snapping her head up to look at Aahz. "Oh! I'm sorry, I…" she trailed off, and for the first time in the second of silence that followed, I noticed that she was blue.  
  
Now when I say blue, I don't merely mean blue clothes like Don Bruce. True, the halter top she wore like a second skin was a matching dark blue to the loose fitting low cut pants, but it was the light blue skin that you noticed. It was eerily beautiful. A mane of white hair fell down her back almost to her waist. Her dark blue eyes were riveted on Aahz, and her blue lips open in shock. Despite her hair and the trimmings on her pants and shoes, everything on the woman was some shade of blue. It was quite a sight.  
  
Her look of shock slowly turned to one of appraisal, a small smile on her lips as her eyes slowly moved up and down my partner. Aahz visibly puffed out under her scrutiny, straightening up and throwing his shoulders back and chest out. He flashed a smile to the woman, his own golden eyes moving over her body.  
  
Her smile became a sultry one, and she leaned to one side, adding even more curve to her hips.  
  
"Hi."  
  
Aahz's smile widened and he gave a nod. "Hi…" He leaned down, scooping up the map without ever breaking eye contact, and held it out for her.  
  
She took it without looking, their touching hands lingering for just a second. Then she moved past him, stepping as if on air. She took two slow steps backward, eyes still on Aahz. She finally turned, looking over her shoulder for a just a second before turning away. She moved into the flow of the crowd, and I knew all three pairs of eyes were on the sway of her hips.  
  
I broke out of the trance first, looking over at Aahz. I laid a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to grin broadly at me.  
  
"Well! That was fun!"  
  
I laughed at his cheap appraisal of the incident. "Yes, Aahz," I agreed with a smile. "More fun for you, though!"  
  
Guido stepped in, lightly punching Aahz on the shoulder. "If I didn't know youse better, I'd go so far as to say youse two had a connection like!"  
  
Aahz laughed, waving off the remark. "Yeah yeah, beautiful girls and what not. C'mon, let's go home."  
  
He stepped past me and Guido fell into line to lead the way. And although Aahz so carelessly waved off the girl, I could see the bounce in his step and the almost permanent smile on his lips. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Aahz's point of view  
  
It was only two days later when I saw her again. Now, don't get started. I say it as if I'd been counting the minutes, right? But I wasn't. Hours, maybe…  
  
I was out with Skeeve, shopping around the bazaar trying to find some props for his next lesson. Even though we're partners in M.Y.T.H. Inc., I still feel it's my duty to teach him what I know. I've gone this route before, and explained it all to the Kid, so I don't feel the need to explain myself again. I was going to teach him stuff, that's that.  
  
But in order to teach him, I needed props. Thus the reason I was haggling over the price of a steel rod with an exceptionally slimy Deveel. He deemed it necessary to charge twice what he'd charged the customer before me, and I was sure the only reason were my green scales. I'd been letting the rudeness slide, but it was quickly chewing away at raw nerves. Skeeve had grown increasingly impatient, and sensing the impending doom, wandered off a few stalls down to look at some hats.  
  
"Forty."  
  
"Dammit!" I whirled back around to the midget, snapped out of my reverie. "You buy 'em for ten! Drop the price!"  
  
"Thirty-nine."  
  
I gave a snarl, almost leaping across the bench in my haste to grab the Deveel. I yanked him to me by his vest, bringing him nose to nose.  
  
"I'm sorry, I missed that. What price did you say?" I gave my most lethal smile, showing all of my teeth.  
  
The Deveel made a show of smiling back, patting my hands in an effort to calm me.  
  
"You must have misheard me."  
  
"Right," I grunted. I sat him down again.  
  
"I said one hundred gold pieces."  
  
There was a second of silence. The satisfied smirk on the Deveels face had grown and he'd gone so far as to cross his arms over his chest and casually lean against the stall. I became aware my jaw was somewhere around my knees, and I snapped it shut.  
  
"…one hundred?"  
  
"One hundred," he nodded, smugness plastered all over his blotchy face. "And fifty," he added, almost as an afterthought.  
  
I exploded. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? ONE HUNDRED FIFTY GOLD PIECES FOR A SCRAP OF METAL!!" I scooped up the rod, shaking it threateningly at him. "LET ME SHOW YOU WHERE YOU CAN…"  
  
"Hey."  
  
A girl slid between the Deveel and me with her back to me. I staggered back a step, throwing my hands up. Too often had I been thrown in situations where I'd received a good beating because of roaming hands, so I kept them above her shoulders and out to my sides. I was aware I looked pretty foolish, but it beat looking bloody.  
  
Quite obviously, it was the woman from yesterday, her blue skin making her unmistakable. She stood with her weight on one leg, throwing a dangerous curve to her hip. I found myself following the curves, and snapped back only at the sound of money.  
  
"Here." The woman tossed a coin to the Deveel.  
  
He snatched it out of the air with a practiced ease, bringing it to his eye to inspect it. He gave a small start, and a smug grin appeared on his face. "For this, lady, you can have as many rods as you want."  
  
She cast a questioning look over her shoulder at me. I glanced down the stall, and at the other several items he had. There were several low-grade magik disarmers, and a bunch of mechanic gimmicks. Though I had a long- standing feud with mechanical magik, it'd be a good way to teach the Kid some stuff.  
  
"Grab some of the gimmicks," I said, gesturing at the lot.  
  
The woman looked the stuff over, and without even glancing at the Deveel, said, "One bag."  
  
The Deveel said not one word as he threw all the gimmicks into the bag. Within seconds, his table was empty, and I was being handed a bumpy, and very full bag.  
  
I opened my mouth to make some rude remark to the Deveel about his brother when the woman turned and walked away. I gave a last look at the Deveel, and then took off after her.  
  
She moved through the crowd with ease, the people seeming to part for her. Of course, they moved back into position right after she'd past. I had to take drastic measures, shoving people aside to get next to her.  
  
"Hey!" I fell into step on her right, looking over at her quizzically. "Not sticking around long enough to let me thank you?"  
  
She cast me a lidded sideways look, a small smile on her lips…then I felt her hand tighten around my wrist and yank me to the left. I fairly flew past her and smacked into a small recess in the wall with my back. She followed me, standing almost too close for comfort. We were standing between two tents, hidden in the dark and the small two-person crevice there.  
  
I stared at her, waiting for my voice to catch up with me, but she spoke first.  
  
"You're Klahd is behind us a little ways. He should pass in a second."  
  
I looked past her to where the people moved past left and right. Only a second passed until Skeeve flitted left, a confused look on his face, and then disappeared beyond my vision.  
  
I looked back at the woman. "He can find his way home."  
  
She smiled, taking a step closer, now standing within millimeters of me.  
  
"Good," she whispered. She paused, eyes moving from mine to my mouth, and back. "Take me somewhere with good food." 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Aahz  
  
We walked in silence. I lead the way through the crowd, weaving around the slower ones. She stayed behind me, never losing place. I occasionally felt her hand at the small of my back, and when took a look, found her staring at some spectacle we were passing, using her fingers to keep contact and not wander off. The map from the other day gave the probable fact that she was new to the Bazaar, and the gaping at the various events only reinforced that.  
  
I lead the way to nowhere for a while, walking until I could decide where to take her. I leaned heavily towards Gus's…then wondered just where she was from, and what food she was used to.  
  
I'd heard rumors of a dimension called Selee, where the locals were blue skinned and vicious. She was blue, but vicious? She'd yet to exhibit that trait, if she had it in her blood at all. She ignored the rudeness of the fellow walkers, bouncing off them when they bounced off her. She barely seemed to register when she clipped someone's shoulder…that wasn't quite vicious, but maybe a bit nasty.  
  
Selee, as I had heard, was an ocean dimension, nearly completely covered in water. So…seafood? She's be used to fish, right? Octopus, and sea horses and such. Gus's was more into junk food, so the Yellow Crescent Inn was out. Maybe that sushi place down the street…damn, we'd passed that ten minutes ago.  
  
Right when I was beginning to despair, rapidly racking my brain for a nearby place to eat, the scent of Pervish cooking hit my nose. I involuntarily stopped, and felt again the hand on my back as she followed suit.  
  
"I smell food."  
  
I glanced down at her in surprise. No one I'd met, besides Pervects that is, label our local delicacy as food. It was surprising for someone not of Pervect heritage to recognize the smell as something edible.  
  
"Right. It's Pervish. Want to try it?"  
  
"Smells okay."  
  
I figured that was a yes, and began leading the way, following the strong scent. The stronger it got, the less traffic there was, and we ended up side by side again. I slowed to a more comfortable walk, glancing over at her occasionally. There was silence for a few minutes as we made our way down the street.  
  
"I'm Adelaida."  
  
I glanced over at her. She was looking ahead, picking out the Pervish restaurant from the others around it. A few other green-scaled people were heading in, and a few out. She slid me another sideways look, held it for a second, and then looked back in front of her.  
  
"I'm Aahzmandius." I offered my full name without a second thought. Most people I meet I give them only 'Aahz', which I almost prefer, and have no reason why I'd told her my full name. I dropped half a step behind her as we neared the front door. "That's a nice name," I added.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
She pulled to a stop at the door. I pulled aside the covering for her, and then moved into the darkness behind her.  
  
We stopped inside, allowing our eyes to get used to the dimness. I became aware that the din fell a few decibels as people noticed our entrance. I glanced around, confirming my suspicions that the restaurant goers were all Pervects. A few I even recognized from my home dimension, others were just travelers. Not many made Deva their home, as I had, and therefore I knew barely any of residence here.  
  
Adelaida, as I knew her now, moved before I did, weaving through the tables effortlessly and oblivious to the stares, and right up to the counter. The restaurant was one of the order and take a number varieties, and our luck had landed us in one with no line up.  
  
I cautiously followed behind her, watching the reactions of the diners. There were a few whispers, and looks, but no one had moved towards us; most returned back to their meals and conversations. I won't lie, I'm not the buffest Pervect out there, but I'm in pretty good shape. My years with the kid have let me go a bit, but I can still hold my own against most other Pervects. I wasn't too worried if someone got the thought in their head that Adelaida didn't belong here. I needn't have worried.  
  
Adelaida stopped at the counter, glancing past the plump Pervect in the white hat at the menu, which was written entirely in Pervish. She waited for me to stop another half step behind her before looking back at me.  
  
"What's good?"  
  
I scanned the menu, picking out a few familiar items. I rattled a few off to her, emphasizing the Combo #4. She nodded, and moved her eyes to the Pervect.  
  
"Two number four combos. To stay."  
  
He maneuvered the toothpick in his mouth to the other side and gave a shrug, punching two buttons on the register. "Fifteen gold, two silver."  
  
I reached for my pocket but Adelaida was quicker, pulling out another coin from…I'm not sure where, and slapping it on the counter.  
  
The Pervect leaned over and pulled it over to him, inspecting it as the Deveel had. He showed more surprise though, eyeing it carefully and then turning that gaze to Adelaida. Behind her, I gave a large smile. It works like a charm on non-Pervects, but he was nowhere near impressed.  
  
"This real?" He scrutinized her carefully, eyes traveling over her.  
  
I felt myself bristle, and moved a little closer to her. His eyes shifted for a split second to me, and the careful placed sneer on my mouth sent my message across.  
  
"Selee, huh?" He glanced again at me. "Interestin'." He opened up the register. "How do you want your change?"  
  
"Gold."  
  
The Pervect gave another shrug and proceeded to count out the change for us, which turned out to be almost three times as much as I was currently carrying on my body. I leaned down, whispering in her ear.  
  
"What's the exchange rate for Seleen currency?"  
  
She scooped some of the gold into her hand and turned, sliding it into my pocket as she answered. "Four gold to one manka. That coin was a hundred manka."  
  
I gave a low whistle of appreciation as the change on the counter continued to grow. "Wait," I said, it suddenly dawning on me, "you gave that Deveel back there four hundred gold for this bag?"  
  
She gave a smirk. "One lokeen is nothing to me. I've got millions of lokeen at home. No worries."  
  
I shrugged and scooped the rest of the change into the bag with the gimmicks, already feeling weighted down by what was in my pockets. "Money is still money, and being ripped off is still being ripped off."  
  
She returned my shrug with one of her own, an act which turns out to be quite enjoyable to watch. She turned back to the counter, watching the Pervect in white slip into the back to prepare our meals. She opened her mouth to say something when a slap and a voice behind us interrupted her.  
  
The slap turned out to be the open handed slapping of her rear, as the shocked, indignant look on her face showed. I turned to face the Pervect that had moved up behind her, while she stayed facing the counter as he spoke.  
  
"Wah-ell, Aahz! You managed to hook up with quite a looker this time! Talk about feelin' blue!" The Pervect gave me a bawdy wink and I recognized him as Tobin, a classmate from school so many centuries ago. He was rather huge now, his buttoned down shirt stretched across his large gut and his oversized pants were held up by suspenders. His four chins jiggled as he laughed and leered at the back of Adelaida.  
  
The fact that I even remembered his name gave me the unsettling feeling that I remembered it for other than good reasons. He continued on, rubbing his hands together as he sealed his own fate.  
  
"You don't mind dropping her off at my place when you're done, do ya, old buddy?" He gave a laugh. Adelaida's shoulders tensed, and I stretched out a hand to ease her.  
  
"Tobin, you aren't…"  
  
SLAM!!  
  
I jerked my hand back as if I was the one that had received the punch.  
  
Tobin's head snapped back, his nose exploding in a gush of blood. He staggered backwards into the table behind him, grabbing it for support. I stared in open amazement and once more found my jaw at my knees.  
  
Adelaida pulled her hand back, and glanced down at her knuckles contemptuously. She closed the few steps to Tobin quickly, and wiped the back of her hand on his shirt, scornfully looking him over. Tobin stayed still, reflecting my own wide-eyed amazement as blood dripped unnoticed past his mouth and down his chins.  
  
All talk in the restaurant had died the moment she punched Tobin, and the silence only thickened as she spoke.  
  
"Only in your dreams," she whispered harshly, her voice full of all the malice she could muster. "And when you dream of me, you remember those childhood stories, and don't you ever forget this day."  
  
The old story came back to me at the moment it did to everyone in the place. Being tucked into bed by my mother and being told the stories of old. Of nasty blue skinned soldiers who hunted down bad little Pervects and used them for fish bait. "That's why you go to bed early every night!" my mother had always warned me. "Otherwise I'll summon some nasty Seleen and he'll cut off your head and feed it to his fish!"  
  
I snapped my jaw shut from its slack position. Those memories had been stored away and forgotten. After all, we were Pervects. Nobody could beat Pervects! …and besides, weren't they only stories that were told to scare little kids?  
  
The Pervect that had taken our order appeared beside us. He held out two plates of food as he glanced between the three of us, then over the rest of the restaurant. "You can eat outside," he said curtly, handing us the food, turning and disappearing into the back again.  
  
Adelaida took her plate and walked past me without a second look to Tobin. I watched her go, then looked to Tobin and gave a shrug.  
  
"Not only a looker, eh Tobin?" I gave a bark of laughter, and walked out.  
  
  
  
"Good food, huh?" I mumbled around a mouthful. I slurped up the last of it off the plate and the dumped the dish into a passing garbage bin.  
  
Adelaida was right behind me, swallowing the last of hers and following it with some water we'd bought on the way.  
  
"A lot different than what I'm used to."  
  
"That would be seafood?"  
  
She nodded, wiping away some crumbs from her lips. I picked at my teeth with my tongue, taking the offered bottle of water from her.  
  
"Mmm hmm," she nodded. She looked over at me with a small smile, her face lighting up with the simple act. "Fish is boring after a while."  
  
I grinned in understanding. "I've got an excellent selection of wine at home, if you'd like to come back."  
  
The ensuing grin almost matched mine. "Really? I love wine!"  
  
We lapsed into silence for another few minutes, walking slowly through the crowds as I guided us back home.  
  
"So where'd you learn to punch like that?" I asked after a few moments, genuinely interested.  
  
"My brothers," she said flatly. "I'd wake up covered in bruises, so I had to learn to defend myself."  
  
"You learned well," I laughed. "It's not everyday you see someone take out a Pervect."  
  
"It's not everyday you see a Seleen."  
  
I nodded in agreement. "True. And I hadn't matched you up with the horror stories my mother told me."  
  
"I don't match the death-bearing-child-eating-monster image that we try to give off. At least, I don't think so."  
  
"No no!" I replied, almost too quickly. I received a sultry smile in response and she stepped close enough to link her arm through mine. I felt the back of my neck heat up, and if I could, would have blushed. My smile doubled in size, which I'm sure showed both my nervousness and happiness at once.  
  
"You aren't scary, you're…not scary at all…. Pretty, you're very pretty and…pretty…." I died off into a mumble, finding myself at a loss for words, something which anyone who knows me well can say doesn't happen often.  
  
She laughed, evidently finding my embarrassment very enjoyable. "Don't talk. Just bring me home." 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Aahz  
  
I awoke from dreams of satin and candlelight with a start. I sat straight up in bed, blood rushing to my head and quickly followed by a massive headache. I blinked, willing it to go away as I tried to focus on the reason I had woken up so suddenly.  
  
The answered stood in my doorway with a slim finger pointed at me. Tananda gaped at me, finger wavering in the air as she pulled a breath, than gave a squeal. It was a mix of horror and enjoyment, but it was very, very loud. I clamped my hands over my ears, squinting angrily at her.  
  
"Tanda! Shut up!"  
  
She gave a jump and clapped her hands, the light green hair not the only thing bouncing with the movement. She reached to the left, bubbling happily, the words totally escaping me as she yanked both Skeeve and Chumley into view. The Kid and the troll both reflected Tananda's reaction, gaping at me for a second before letting out a mix of horrified and shocked screams.  
  
I pulled my hands from my ears as they cut themselves off, staring at them in confusion. "What ARE you screaming about!?" I hollered. All the hands came up and pointed at me…or rather, to my right. I followed the line of trajectory, turning, and my eyes landed on…  
  
"ACK!" I flew from my bed, scrabbling from beneath the covers to the floor. I pointed at the woman beneath my covers. She had the covers bunched around her waist, clearly exposing her top half. Sleeping soundly, arms folded up beneath her head as pillow, was a female Pervect. For the third time in two days, I became aware my jaw was almost hanging at the floor.  
  
I twisted to look at the three in the door, and found their eyes not on my bed anymore, but focused on me. Or more specifically, focused on my nakedness.  
  
I yanked my pillow from my bed, and instead of covering myself up, threw it at the three standing motionless in the doorway. "SHUT THE DAMN DOOR!"  
  
It slammed shut.  
  
I stomped over to a chair, pulling on a pair of slacks. There was shouting from outside my door, and a new voice I didn't recognize entered the fray. I'd finished buttoning them up, trying to concentrate on understanding the words when my door flew open again.  
  
I whirled around, already starting to yell when I stopped. The figure in the doorway wasn't familiar, but I knew him for who he was. The Seleen was easily two heads taller than me, stooping to get through the door. He was adorned with a knife or sword on every available belt hook, and had two large sword handles visible over his shoulders. He was loaded down with what looked like a hundred pounds of weapons with the intent of bodily harmed, but carried the weight like a towel.  
  
He held a large, serrated dagger in one hand, the other hand keeping Skeeve out of the room. His skin was a darker hue than Adelaida's, and black hair hung in a short crop. He stared around the room, passed his eyes over the woman in my bed, and stopped on me.  
  
"Who are you?" he growled, glaring at me in obvious displeasure.  
  
"Who am I?" I echoed in an angry snarl. "Who am I!?? The question is who the hell are you??? This is MY room, and I don't know YOU, so GET OUT!"  
  
He gestured with his sword at the other Pervect, ignoring me completely. "What's her name?"  
  
Skeeve suddenly appeared, ducking under his arm and running around in front of him. He waved his arms, struggling to get the giants attention as he began to yell. "I told you to wait downstairs! Did I tell you to follow me upstairs!? Nobody said you could come up here! This is my partner's room, this is my house, and you're trespassing on private property!!"  
  
In order to get the Seleen to meet his eyes, Skeeve levitated himself upwards until the two were nose to nose. The Seleen reacted slightly to this, taking the smallest step backwards. He looked behind him at something, and I peered around him to see Tananda and Chumley poking at his back angrily. He turned back to Skeeve.  
  
"Sorry, Mister Skeeve, but with you being so nervous about seeing this guy, it made me think she might be up here."  
  
"I told you we saw her on the street, we didn't even learn her name! Now get out before I resort to other measures!"  
  
I listened to the interaction in silence, looking between the two. The Seleen pointed around Skeeve at my bed. I glanced at the woman. She snored silently, sleeping through it all.  
  
"She's got a disguise spell on. Can I take a look through it?"  
  
Skeeve glanced behind him, squinting his eyes a bit, evidently catching sight of an aura. This could mean several things, with one being a disguise spell. He looked to me, and I answered with a confused blink. I had no idea whether or not the sleeping Pervect was Adelaida in disguise, or…or a sleeping Pervect.  
  
"Uh, sure…" He glanced back at me uncertainly as the Seleen began digging in his pockets. I gave a shrug.  
  
The Seleen pulled up a small round disk, bringing it to his eye. He paused, training it on the woman, and then slipped it back in his pocket. "I'm sorry I disturbed you, Mister Skeeve. You can reach the Devan Department of Missing Persons if you happen to see Miss Adelaida again. Thank you for your time."  
  
With that he turned and left, clomping from the room and down the hallway, Tananda and Chumley following as escorts. Skeeve floated back to the floor, waiting until they were gone to turn back to the room.  
  
He walked over to the foot of the bed, staring for a moment at the girl before looking at me. "Is this Adelaida?"  
  
I racked my brain as to last night's events. I remembered lots of wine; lots and lots of wine, joking and story telling. We'd snuck in and locked ourselves in the wine cellar, and…then…and then….  
  
"I think so."  
  
"But it's not a disguise spell."  
  
I shook my head in complete confusion. "I'll figure it out. Leave me alone for a few."  
  
He nodded, biting his lip. "She's missing, and there's a rather large reward out for her." He gave me a sideways look.  
  
I narrowed my eyes, reflexively showing my teeth in a small burst of anger. "Out."  
  
He waved his hands in the air. "Just saying. If there's something between you…"  
  
"Out!"  
  
"Okay okay! Sorry," he mumbled, backing out of the room and pulling the door to.  
  
I sank into a chair as he left, rubbing the tension from my eyes. I gave a groan, holding my head in my hands. She knew someone would come here looking for her. A blue skinned woman wouldn't be hard to find, even in the Bazaar of Deva. So she'd changed her appearance to hide, knowing… I gave another groan, massaging my temples. What had I gotten myself into this time?  
  
"More trouble than you needed, huh?"  
  
I snapped my head up at the sound of her voice. Adelaida, her blue self again, laying on her side on the bed, sheets pulled up to cover herself, her slightly disheveled hair falling over her shoulders. She stared quietly at me.  
  
She'd been awake the entire time as well, pretending to sleep through it all. Whether that made things easier or not, I'd yet to decide.  
  
I stood up, moving over to the edge of the bed and sinking down onto the mattress. "Yeah," I mumbled in reply. "You could have warned me."  
  
She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling in silence. It stretched into a minute before she spoke.  
  
"A shape-shifting spell. I learned very young that simple disguise spells don't work half the time. It's hell on my magik reserve, but…it fools people like Jaaik."  
  
"The…?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?" I was referring not to why it fools Jaaik, but the big why. Why are you running from your own kind? Why is there a reward out for you? Why didn't you tell me?  
  
Pause. "I'd rather not talk about it yet."  
  
"Yet."  
  
She rolled back over, giving me a smug look. "I know you have a hang over. We'll talk later."  
  
I looked down at the touch of her hand on mine, then back up into her eyes. More silence, then she pulled back.  
  
"I need a shower."  
  
She rolled from the bed, swinging her legs to the floor and standing up. She gave a stretch, another act that proved so enjoyable to watch I felt my temperature shoot up several degrees. She walked around the bed to the bathroom, my eyes following her every step of the way. What a wonder for a hang over.  
  
She paused in the doorway to the adjacent room, looking over her shoulder at me, a smile on her lips. "You're welcome to join me," she said carefully, letting the offer be known loud and clear, but also the fact that she wouldn't mind if I didn't.  
  
I glanced down at the bed and at the covers that looked so soft and inviting, and then back up at the now empty doorway. I heard the water turn on, and a spray of steam billowed out the door a second later.  
  
I patted the mattress pillow me. "Later." 


End file.
